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ND Women’s Golf: Irish travel together to MSU

After ending its season opener on a high note, Notre Dame heads to the Mary Fossum Invitational at Michigan State this weekend for its first team test of the fall.

Although the Irish participated in the IU Fall Kickoff on Sunday, the team split up and competed as individuals, so no official team score was recorded. That will change this weekend, as Notre Dame travels to Forest Akers West Golf Course, the Spartans’ home course.

Under coach Susan Holt, the Irish have played this invitational five of the past six years. Holt describes the course as one of her favorites.

“That’s why we go there almost every year, because it’s one of my favorites that we play,” Holt said. “It’s a great way for us to really kick off our fall schedule. It’s close and it’s a great course. It’s a good test of golf, and you have to hit quality shots, so I think it prepares us well for the rest of the year.”

It’s no surprise, then, that almost the entire squad is familiar with the course. Even freshman Janie Fineis, an East Lansing, Mich., native, has played it several times. The only Irish golfer not to have played Forest Akers West is the team’s other freshman, Jordan Ferreira.

Ferreira, however, is coming off a stellar debut at the IU Kickoff at Purgatory Golf Course in Noblesville, Ind. At the one-day, 36-hole tournament, Ferreira led all Irish golfers with a five-over-par effort that put her in a tie for eighth place. Ferreira’s second-round score of one-over-par was the second-best single round by an Irish golfer on the day, two shots back of junior Kelli Oride’s 71.

“Jordan’s a very good player, very solid in all aspects of the game,” Holt said. “College golf puts her in a whole new world of competition, and she should feel very good about her start. I look for her to be very consistent throughout the year and I think she’ll do fine.”

Overall, Holt was not happy with the squad’s play in the first round of the Kickoff, but she remains confident in her team’s chances this weekend at Michigan State.

“I think if we had played as a team at IU our score would have been 305 in the first round,” Holt said. “Three hundred and five should be the worst that we play. It shouldn’t even be that bad. We always go into a tournament looking to win but we just need to be more consistent. If we can do that, we can compete with anybody.”

This weekend, the Irish will face a talented 15-team field that includes No. 25 Northwestern and the No. 24 Spartans. Other squads include Ohio State, Oregon, Miami (FL) and Indiana.

“It’s a good mix of schools – a lot of them will have new looks, new players,” Holt said. “After this, we’ll definitely know how we stack up, especially in the Midwest. Playing these Big Ten schools will be very good for us.”

The Irish begin play at the Mary Fossum Invitational at Forest Akers West Golf Course on Saturday and continue through Sunday.